7 Awesome AirPlay Apps

While we've been busy cranking out Wi-Fi hotspots, sending music and video to our Apple TVs and generally living it up wirelessly with our iOS devices, developers have been busy coding their fingers down to the bone to bring AirPlay compatibility to their applications. What's that you say? You've been too busy to check in with the iTunes App Store lately? Don't worry: Like always, Mac|Life has your back.

To make sure that AirPlay becomes a part of your glorious Mac lifestyle, we've put together a selection of seven of our favorite AirPlay compatible applications for you to use, peruse and enjoy.

Having iMovie on your iPad is awesome. Sending iMovie content from your iPad to your Apple TV is, well, more awesome. Thanks to AirPlay, anyone can thrill their friends with their video masterpieces/monstrosities on any Apple TV-connected widescreen television. We found that the video looked great, even when it was put together using raw footage from an iPhone 3GS camera, and synced up to our TV just as fast as content we’ve downloaded from iTunes does. Nice!

Your guests need some snacks to go with that homemade epic. Fortunately, Martha Stewart Makes Cookies can walk you through a wide number of delicious recipes, the tools you’ll need to make them and a healthy serving of AirPlay compatible how-to videos featuring Martha and a cadre of cookie commandos to make sure your baking turns out for the best.

FitnessClass has a wide variety of work outs for all fitness levels, FitnessClass is a first-class iPad application for helping you kick start those New Years resolutions--in April. From high-impact cardio to kettle-ball basics, this one’s got it all. Sadly, while the application itself is free, you’ll have to pay for the AirPlay compatible video fitness sessions it contains.

If you’d rather mellow out and tone your muscles with some yoga instead of the high-impact fare offered by FitnessClass, Authentic Yoga with Deepak Chopra for iPad has you covered. Offering the ability to build your own yoga routines from the large number of Airplay compatible videos baked into the application, as well as some interesting commentary from Deepak Chopra on the history and philosophy of yoga, this one’s a steal at $1.99. Even if you never plan on trying out any of the poses illustrated by the app, it provides a fascinating look at an ancient art.

OK, that’s enough fitness--Back to the couch! IMDB’s excellent iPad app provides all of the information on your favorite actors, movies and television shows you’ll need to settle even the most violent trivia arguments from the comfort of your own living room. Better still, the application plays host to thousands of AirPlay compatible trailers and video to keep you entertained for hours at a time.

Boasting AirPlay-compatible video guitar lessons that you can shred and lick your way through, Guitar World Lick of the Day is one of the slickest music apps available in the iTunes App Store, and it makes a perfect companion for your iPad’s brand new GarageBand app.

While creating, baking, exercising, kicking back, or a-pickin’ and a-grinnin' are all great ways to pass the time at time at home, it never hurts to take a look at what’s going on in the outside world from time to time. Luckily, Newsy for iPad allows us to do exactly that without having to step foot outside our front doors, or lift a cheek off our couches, for that matter. You can consume all the news that Newsy has to offer on your iPad, or build up a library of stories from a wide variety of timely subjects and send them from your iPad to you Apple TV. Think of it as the evening news, customized just for you.